Dhaka : Noted Bangladeshi author and educationist Zillur Rahman Siddiqui has died aged 86.
The former adviser to the caretaker government was rushed to the Samorita Hospital in Dhaka Tuesday, which confirmed that he had already passed away by the time he was brought in, bdnews24.com reported.
Siddiqui’s body will be kept at the hospital until relatives arrive to decide on his burial, his family said.
Siddiqui, who won Bangladesh’s highest civilian award Swadhinata Padak (Independence Award) in 2010, leaves behind his wife, three sons and a daughter.
Siddiqui was born Feb 23, 1928. He matriculated from Jessore Zilla School in 1945 and graduated from the Presidency College in Kolkata.
He earned an M.A. the following year in English literature from Dhaka University.
He also studied English literature at Worcester College, Oxford University, from 1952 to 1954.
Siddiqui taught at Dhaka College and then at Rajshahi University from mid-1973 to 1988. He then went on to teach at Jahangirnagar University and became the university’s vice-chancellor for two consecutive terms.
He became the vice-chancellor of Gono Bishwabidyalay in 2000 and retired voluntarily in 2003.
Siddiqui was in charge of the education ministry when he served as an advisor to the caretaker government under Justice Shahabuddin Ahmed in 1990-1991.
He has authored many books, both in Bengali and English, and has been honoured with numerous awards like the Alaol Sahitya Purashkar in 1977, the Alokto Sahitya Purashkar in 1998 and the MA Haque Swarna Padak in 2003.